Bedtime Stories
by The Little Monster 1024
Summary: During a quiet night in the Castle house, Castle tells seven year old Isabel Castle a bedtime story; the story of Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook.  I.e. Richard Castle and Kate Beckett  FLUFF WARNING!


**Title:** Bedtime Stories  
><strong>Rating<strong>: K+  
><strong>AN<strong>: Just a little one-shot of Castle telling seven year old Isabel Castle a bedtime story; the story of Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook. (I.e. Richard Castle and Kate Beckett)

Oh and the part in _Italics_ is a flashback. It's the part of the story that may be the most important and it's the part that I made up.  
><strong>Oh just fair warning; this story has dialogue, but it's is long paragraphs. If that isn't something you like, steer clear. :) Enjoy!<strong>

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><p>"Daddy?" Came a small whisper from the dark, pink bedroom. Rick turned and gently pushed the door open and slowly walked inside the bedroom. He walked over to the small pink bed and looked down at the little girl. Her straight brown hair was braided to the side as her hazel green eyes stared up at him. "It's Friday. You promised you'd tell me a story." She said, sitting up and crossing her arms across her chest.<p>

Rick chuckled as he looked down at the angry expression on the seven year old's face. "I did, didn't I?"

She nodded. "You forgot last week because you were at work, remember?"

Rick nodded with a smile. Oh yes, he remembered. The little girl complained for days about it. "Okay, lay down." He said.

The little girl squealed with joy and quickly laid down. Rick reached and pulled the blanket to her chin. He shut the small lamp off near the bed, leaving only the plug in nightlight. He sat down in his chair near her bed. He settled back into the soft cushions and smiled at the girl in front of him. "The usual Miss Castle?" He asked with a smile.

The little girl shook her head. She was sick of the usual _Sleeping Beauty_ or _Cinderella _stories. "Do you have any other stories?" She asked.

Rick leaned back in the chair thinking. He took story time very seriously; he never wanted to bore his daughter. He even slipped excitement into most clichéd fairytales. He sat up with a smile as an idea popped into his head. "Would you like to hear the story of a superhero?" He asked with a smile.

The little girl's face curled up in a grimace. "Superheroes?" She said in disgust. "Those are for boys." She said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Rick quickly shook his head. "No, this super hero is a girl, Nikki Heat." He paused. "It's a love story."

"A superhero love story with a girl?" She said a huge smiling forming. "It sounds great."

Rick laughed and watched as his daughter smiled at the thought of a great heroine. She was never interested in male characters, unless they were in love with the female. She was quite the romantic feminist. "Are you ready?" He asked.

She smiled, excited for the new story. "Yes!"

Rick took a deep breath as he began. "There once was a very beautiful woman, so beautiful that almost every man fell in love with her. She lived in New York City. As a child, she was smart and adventurous. She was so happy and full of life until she was nineteen…"

"What happened Daddy?" The six year old asked with concerned eyes.

"Just wait." Rick said quickly. "When Nikki was nineteen, her Mom was kidnapped." He said kidnapped, not wanting to tell a seven year old the story of a murder.

The little girl gasped, causing a smile to form on her father's face.

"After that, Nikki was angry and sad. Soon after, she realized that she had a special gift. She was super smart, strong, and was unstoppable. She decided that she was going to spend her life helping the city. She solved crimes and saved lives for years, still always unhappy because of her mother's disappearance. Her life was boring and she was sad until one day, her boss, Roy, told her that a writer would follow her around. One of the bad guys was pretending to be like a villain from the writer's books; Nikki needed his help to defeat the bad guy. His name was Jameson Rook. Jameson Rook wrote a lot of book and also had a daughter named Harper."

"Did they defeat the bag guy?" Isabel asked, not caring about Rook's back-story.

Rick nodded. "But after it was over, it Jameson was supposed to leave."

Rick glanced at his daughter to see her staring in anticipation.

"But," Rook began. "His friend, the mayor, decided to let Rook stay so that he could do research for a new book. Nikki didn't like Rook." He said. "She thought that he was annoying and got in the way. Rook however, was intrigued by Nikki and thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen." He smiled, thinking of "Nikki Heat." "Rook followed her around as she searched and defeated bad guys. During this time, they developed a weird kind of dysfunctional friendship." Rick sat back further in the chair, getting lost in the story. "One day, Rook asked about her Mom. Nikki told Rook that she couldn't start looking for her Mom again, because if she did, she would never stop."

"Why?" The little girl asked.

"Because Nikki was very determined, and she loved her mother. She knew that it was impossible to find her mother and if she tried to look, she'd spend her whole life doing it." He said, glancing up at the child to see her nodding; understanding. Rick took a deep breath before beginning again. "Rook didn't listen to her, and one day, opened up a file with all of the clues for her Mom's disappearance."

The little girl gasped with anger. "He can't do that! Nikki will be mad!"

Rick looked up and smiled at his daughter. "Rook found out some new information, but Nikki was still mad. She didn't want to work with Rook anymore."

"Oh no!" She said, quickly sitting up.

Rick laughed. "Lay down so I can finish the story."

She nodded and lay down.

"Rook was so sorry, and eventually, Nikki let him back. They worked together for almost a year. Over this time Rook developed deep feelings for Beck-Nikki…" He paused, catching his mistake. "He cared about her a lot….Now, you have to understand, Nikki Heat was not the average woman, she was different. She was tough, and strict, Rook didn't think she would even consider the possibility of having feelings for him, but she did. During that time, she realized that she cared for him too."

"Did they get married?" The little girl asked with excitement.

Rick shook his head sadly. "Rook was leaving to go on vacation, he asked Nikki to come, but she had a boyfriend. Her boyfriend asked her to go away with him, so Rook asked his ex-wife to go." Rick paused, thinking of it. "He didn't know that Nikki broke up with her boyfriend for him."

"Rook is kind of stupid." The little girl commented. "He keeps messing up." She said in a frustrated tone.

Rick nodded. "Well, I think things were complicated." Rick said, defending his alter-ego.

The child shook her head. "It's his fault. First he tried to look for her mom, and then he left with his ex-wife. I'd love to see where you're going with this Dad."

Rick laughed at the little girl. She defiantly had her mother's personality. "Okay, well let me finish."

The little girl nodded with a smile.

"After Rook left, he didn't come back for three months."

"Three months!" She exclaimed.

Rick nodded. "During those three months, Nikki missed Rook like crazy, and Rook missed her. Nikki was mad too, Rook never called and she thought that he wasn't coming back." He paused. "Until one day, when she was looking for a bad guy, she found Rook in the bad guy's cave!"

"Why was he in there?" The little girl said in shock.

Rick ignored her question and continued. "Nikki had no choice but to take him and try to find out if he was a bad guy. Nikki sat him down and talked to him and found out that he wasn't a bad guy, but she was still mad. She told him to go home; Rook however, didn't want to. He made a deal with Nikki in order to stay. If he figured out who the bad guy was before Nikki, Nikki would let him stay. So, he and Nikki both worked hard until the bad guy was found…by Rook!" He said, happily.

"Did Nikki let him win?" The little girl asked. "Nikki's too smart to lose to Rook."

Rick laughed. If she was anymore like her mother it would be scary.

He ignored the comment and continued the story. "They worked together and grew closer and closer each time. They trusted each other with anything." He paused. "Everything was going great until Nikki got a new boyfriend." He said in disgust.

The little girl sighed. "Dad, I'm starting to think that Rook and Nikki will never get together. Things keep getting in the way."

Rick nodded. "Yes, things were in the way. Rook knew this, but he also knew that Nikki was worth waiting for." He paused but when he didn't receive a response from his daughter, he continued. "Nikki's boyfriend wasn't really a bad guy, but he wasn't right for Nikki, and Rook knew this. But at that time, the boyfriend made Nikki happy, so Rook had to deal with it."

"Rook should've just walked up and kissed her."

Rick chuckled. "Actually, I was just getting to something like that. Nikki and Rook had to go undercover to find some clues about her mother's kidnapping and to help a few of their friends. They had to try to get past the bad guy's body guard. To do this, they pretended to just be a couple taking a walk. When that didn't work, Nikki reached for her weapon, but Rook stopped her. He grabbed her hand and quickly pulled her into a kiss. She pulled away and looked at him in shock before diving back into the kiss. Rook kissed her back, holding her tightly in his arms and never wanting to let go."

Rick looked at Isabel and saw her with a ridiculous grin on her face, silently urging him to go on.

"But after the kiss, Nikki pretended like it never happened, which actually kind of hurt Rook." He paused. "Through the next few months they solved cases together unknowingly growing closer. One of the cases caused Nikki to learn more about her mother's kidnapping. Rook helped her as they both chased clues and searched, always coming up empty…that was until one day. One day Rook was told that Nikki HAD to stay away from looking for her mother, because if she kept looking someone would kill her."

"Oh no!" Isabel said.

"Rook would've rather died himself than see anything happen to her. So, he went to her house and wanted to talk. He told her that she had to walk away from looking for her mother or someone was going to kill her. She wasn't happy about it. She was angry and hurt; she told Rook that they were over and they couldn't work together anymore."

"Why is Nikki being so mean to Rook? Why can't she just stop looking?" Isabel asked, frustrated with Nikki.

"Because it's her mother. She loved her mother very much and didn't want to give up on her…but Rook knew that she had to. They ended up finding out that Nikki's boss knew something about the disappearance. He knew who took her, but he refused to tell."

"So, Roy was a bad guy?"

"No no no! He was far from a bad guy."

"Then why wouldn't he tell Nikki?"

"Because the bad guy that took her mother was too powerful and would kill her if she went after him. Her boss knew this and didn't want her to get hurt…so he convinced Nikki to follow him somewhere and once they were there he got some of the bad guys to come and try to get Nikki…but he had tricked them. He made Rook come and carry Nikki to safety when the bad guys came. Her boss killed the bad guys but was killed too while saving Nikki's life. Her boss was a hero."

"So Nikki is safe now." Isabel concluded.

"That's what they thought….until the boss's funeral. While they were at the funeral, Nikki was asked to speak on her boss's behalf. While she was speaking, Rook noticed something out in the distance." Rick paused and took a breath, preparing himself for telling the part of the story that still tore him up inside at the thought. "The thing he saw was a weapon; a gun to be exact. The person pointed it at Nikki and shot."

Isabel gasped as Rick quickly went on, wanting to get past that part in the story.

"Rook ran as fast as he could and tried to get her out of the way, but by the time he got to her, it was too late…Nikki had been shot."

The room was completely quiet. Rick sat there, taking a break of the heart wrenching part of the story. Isabel sat in anticipation.

"Rook held her in his arms as he watched the tears escape her eyes and roll off of her face. He felt tears burn his eyes at the sight. He quietly whispered to her 'Nikki, stay with me Nikki…don't leave me please…stay with me okay…Nikki, I love you. I love you Nikki.' Just as the last word escaped his lips, she shut her eyes."

"Oh no! She's DEAD!" She shrieked hopping up onto her feet on her bed.

"Shh!" Rick said, standing to pick her up and gently lay her back down. "Your Mom and brother are asleep."

"Sorry," She muttered. "Is she dead...and what about her boyfriend?

"Did I ever mention that her boyfriend was a doctor?" He asked. "Nikki was rushed to the hospital," He said, not waiting for an answer. "Her boyfriend was there and tried to operate on her, but wasn't allowed. When he was told to stop, he left and went and yelled at Rook, telling him that it was his fault that Nikki was shot; it was his fault because he brought up her mother's case."

By this point, Rick was pretty happy that Isabel was such a bright kid. Most adults he knew wouldn't be able to follow this complicated story.

"The doctors operated on Nikki for a while…and she lived."

He heard a gasp and a few excited hand claps from his daughter.

"After the shooting, Rook visited her in the hospital. When he walked inside that hospital room and saw her smiling at him, he was so happy. He never thought that he'd see her again, which made that day, aside from the day his daughter was born, the best day of his life. He sat down and they began to talk; she said that she didn't remember what happened at the shooting…"

"So she doesn't remember that he said that he loved her?"

"Well, that's what he thought; she lied."

"Why?" She asked in confusion.

"I'll get to that." He said. "They also stared talking about when her boss was killed and she told him that he shouldn't have carried her out. Rook tried to explain that she would've died…but Nikki didn't want to hear it. She sent him away and told him that she's call him when she was ready."

Rick paused as he felt an ache in his chest just at the thought of the shooting. He didn't realize that after all of the years later, the emotions were still very raw.

"Rook left the hospital like she said…"

"Why doesn't Rook just stop listening to her? Why didn't he just stay at the hospital?"

"Because Rook only cared about her happiness….he'd rather suffer and not see her for a few days than upset her." He paused before going on. "Rook went home and waited…and waited…and waited. She never called. She never texted him…she never did anything…until one day one day when he was signing autographs she showed up after three months."

"Are they going to kiss now?" She asked in an impatient tone.

"No," He paused. "Rook was mad at her because of the wait. He tried to explain that he watched her almost die…and then for her not to make any kind of contact with him for three months hurt him very much. She told him that she couldn't call him because she didn't want to be involved with any kind of thing related to her Mom or her shooting. She said she needed time away. Rook was still mad, he asked Nikki if her boyfriend was with her…she told him that they broke up."

"YES!" Isabel said excitedly. "I didn't like him."

"Yeah, no one did." He commented with a smile. "Rook and Nikki sat down to talk. She told him that until she put the shooting and her mother's disappearance behind her she couldn't be the kind of person she wanted to be and she couldn't have the type of relationship that she wanted until she knocked that wall down." He paused. "Hearing that made Rook realize that he had to knock her wall down. He had to help her."

"So that they could get married?"

Rick nodded. "They started working together again, solving crime and saving the city everyday. All was great until one day there was a bad guy who had a gun that looked like the gun that shot Nikki. She was scared. Rook had never seen her so scared before in his life. She almost couldn't handle it. She was so broken until their friend, Ochoa, helped her; and after he did, she was back to herself. After that day she decided that she had to put her Mom's disappearance behind her; she couldn't let it rule her life anymore." He paused and leaned back further in the chair as he approached a complicated part in the "story". "After this the duo continued to do what they did best. The year went by with laughs and good times. Everything was perfect until lone rainy night in May."

"What happened?" She asked.

"Rook and Nikki had had a very long day and decided to go back to Rook's loft to watch a movie and relax. His mother and daughter were out of town so they ordered some take out and settled into the couch with glasses of wine. They talked and laughed until Rook decided he couldn't go another day without her knowing how he felt about her."

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><p><em>He looked over at her as her eyes were fixed on the TV. He couldn't help the smile that formed on his face. He couldn't do it. He couldn't go another day without telling her. He was going to tell her exactly what happened on the day of her shooting.<em>

"_Kate?" He said softly._

"_Hm?" She said, turning her head to look at him. Their eyes connected; blue met green in the intense stare that they held. She, like always, pulled away way too soon. "What is it Castle?"_

"_Oh," He said, gathering his thoughts. "I need to tell you something…" He trailed off._

_She smiled and turned her while body to face him, giving him her full attention. "Go on." She said with a smile._

_That smile; that dazzling smile that made him lose his words, stumbling over them. "I-I I love you." He said in almost a whisper._

_Although said so softly, she heard his words. She froze, knowing how she felt, but not knowing how to respond. Her heart got the better of her as she felt the words leave her mouth. "I love you too, Rick."_

_The minute the words escaped her mouth, Castle had his arms wrapped tightly around her, pulling her into a deep kiss. Beckett wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, falling into the kiss._

_Beckett felt guilt build in her stomach. She shouldn't be doing that. She shouldn't be doing that to him. He didn't deserve this; she didn't deserve him. She lied to him; she lied about everything._

"_Castle, stop." She said, pulling away from him._

_As much as he didn't want to, he pulled away. "I'm sorry." He said. "I shouldn't have piled all of this on top of you….you don't even feel the same way…"_

"_Rick no, that's not it…" She said, settling into the side of the couch. She couldn't sit in his embrace. "I led to you…"_

"_Lied to me?"_

"_I remember everything from the shooting…everything." She said, as tears burned her eyes. She never meant to lie for so long; she never meant to hurt him._

_Castle stared at her in disbelief; she remembered. "So, you remember what I said?"_

"_Yes…yes, I remember it all." She paused. "I'm so sorry. I just couldn't do that at the time…I was so confused and hurt…I didn't mean for you to get hurt…" She trailed off and looked up at his hurt face. She was so mad at herself for hurting him. She lost all control of her emotions as tears began to fall._

"_Kate…" He began._

"_I love you Rick, I do…" She paused, wiping her tears. "I just can't be with you knowing that I lied to you." She said, standing from the couch._

_Rick quickly stood and grabbed her hand, spinning her around to face him. "Kate, wait."_

_She looked at him._

"_Do you love me; really truly love me?" He asked._

_She gave him a confused look before nodding. "Yes, I do Rick but…"_

"_No," He interrupted. "The fact that you lied to me stings a bit, but you and I have been through way too much to let something like this ruin what we have together."_

_She smiled but couldn't help the guilt. "Rick, you don't de…"_

_He interrupted her by pulling her into a kiss, making her forget the words that were about to spill from her mouth._

* * *

><p>"What happened next?" Isabel asked as the story began to get more interesting.<p>

"Well, they decided to get married." Rick said. "They got married on a bright and sunny morning in May the following year. After that they settled down a bit and had two beautiful children. They still take care of the city, but now they do it with more of a meaning."

"What about Nikki's Mom?"

Rick sighed. "They never found her. It was hard for Nikki to accept the fact that it was impossible, but she had her own life now; she had bigger priorities. She knew that her mother would understand."

"That was a good story Dad." Isabel said with a smile.

Rick smiled. "I'm glad you liked it." He said, standing from the chair and kissing his daughter's cheek. "Goodnight; I love you."

"I love you too, Daddy." She said, lying down.

He walked to the door and began to shut it before his daughter spoke again.

"If Mommy went missing, I'd never stop looking for her."

"Me either Sweetheart." He paused. "But you don't have to worry about something happening to your Mom."

Isabel nodded as Rick walked out the door and slowly shut it behind him. He smiled as he turned around, only to be terrified by the sight of his wife staring at him with a smile.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" He said, trying to catch his breath.

She ignored him and took a step towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "That was a beautiful bedtime story." She said.

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his embrace. "Well, it was one hell of a love story that needed to be told." He said, leaning down to kiss her.

She kissed him back before pulling away. "I never quite realized how complicated it was."

"It would've been easier if you would've gone out with me the first time I asked during the first case we worked together."

"I think we both learned that some things are worth waiting for." She said with a smile. "I know I did."

He nodded. "You and the kids were defiantly worth the wait…speaking of kids," He said with a smile. "Is Carter in bed?" He asked, gesturing towards the four year old's bedroom.

She nodded. "And sleeping like a rock."

Rick smiled and pulled completely away from Kate in order to place his hand on her stomach. "And how is this little guy doing?"

"Besides kicking the hell out of me?" She asked. "He's doing great."

He smiled and removed his hand from its resting place on her stomach, pulling her to him once again. "And how is New York's finest detective doing this evening?"

She smiled up at him. "Tired…I think I need a bath."

"Mind if I join you?" He asked with a smirk.

"I thought you'd never ask." She said, pulling him towards their bedroom and leading him into their bathroom.

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><p><strong>I realize that the flashback was probably confusing. The reason I used Kate and Rick instead of Rook and Nikki was because it was Castle remembering it instead of saying it. You're probably also wondering why that was the only flashback…that's because you've technically already seen the other stuff. And I know I didn't include many specific episodes, if you want to know what happened, watch the show. (: With that being said, I hope you like this one-shot and I hope that you leave a review because that would be freaking awesome. (:<strong>

**Follow Me On Twitter: _JoWS1024_**


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